300 militants killed in Takfiri groups infighting near Damascus

At least 300 militants have been killed during fighting between Takfiri groups over the control of a militant stronghold near the Syrian capital, Damascus.

The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Sunday that the Saudi-backed Jaish al-Islam militant group has been fighting against the Faylaq al-Rahman and Jaish al-Fustat groups, which are led by al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front, in Eastern Ghouta over the past few weeks.

Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said over 300 militants killed in the fighting in the region since April 28, most of whom belonged to Jaish al-Islam or al-Nusra..

Ten civilians, including a doctor and child, were also killed in the battle, Abdel Rahman said.

The doctor, named as Nabil al-Da’as, was the only specialist gynecologist practicing in the area. The Syrian Arab Red Cross also confirmed his death.

Jaish al-Islam is the dominant Takfiri group in Eastern Ghouta. One of the group’s leaders, Mohammad Alloush, is among the senior negotiators of the so-called opposition group at peace talks in Geneva.

United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura estimates that over 400,000 people have been killed in the conflict that has gripped Syria since March 2011. The conflict has also displaced over half of the Arab country’s pre-war population of about 23 million.